15th of Khordad uprising seen as prelude to victory of Revolution

Many Iranians view the 15th of Khordad or June 5, 1963 uprising as a prelude to the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran under the wise leadership of Imam Khomeini.

ID:5401705/06/2018

Iran is marking the 55th anniversary of an uprising against the US-backed former monarchical regime of Pahlavi.

Many Iranians view the 15th of Khordad or June 5, 1963 uprising as a prelude to the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

The protesters did not budge and they declared their support for their religious and political figure, Ayatollah Khomeini

The uprising paved the way for collapse of Pahlavi dynasty and provided grounds for the victory of Islamic Revolution in Iran.

The widespread protests of June 5, 1963, known as 15th of Khordad Uprising, were held against the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after his strong remarks on Shah regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Israel and the United States.

The protestor rallies were harshly suppressed by the Pahlavi regime forces.

The event however marked the vitality and power of revolutionaries against Pahlavi dynasty.

The demonstrations also came six months after Shah issued a set of reforms called “White Revolution”.

This six-point plan was claimed to be prepared for Iran’s further development and called for land reform, nationalization of forests, empowering private sector, electoral changes, and establishment of an anti-illiteracy campaign.

However, the anti-religious and Western nature of the program was clear for religious figures including Ayatollah Khomeini.

Talks between these religious figures and the representatives of Shah all ended without any result as Shah refused to clarify the dimensions of the program.

Finally Ayatollah Khomeini and other religious figures decided to boycott the referendum on White Revolution.

. Yet, the turning point was the speech delivered by Ayatollah Khomeini on June 3, 1963, at the Feyziyeh Seminary School. The ceremony was held to commemorate the anniversary of Ashura or 10th of Moharram, marking the tragic martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH) in Karbala.

Addressing a large gathering of people in his speech, Ayatollah Khomeini strongly criticized the Shah’s regime for its anti-Islam policies.

Imam exposed the treasons of the Pahlavi regime to the Iranian nation. He pointed out: "They are against the foundations of the divine religion of Islam and the ulema and aim at destroying Islam and the ulema. O People! you should know that our Islam and country are threatened. We are deeply concerned about the situation of Iran and the state of the Shah’s despotic regime."

Two days later at three o'clock in the morning, Shah Regime’s commandos descended on Khomeini's home in Qom and arrested him. The Shah’s agents hastily transferred him to the Qasr Prison in Tehran.

On June 5, 1963, the Iranian people staged massive demonstrations against Shah regime, following news of detention of the Father of Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini.

The regime forces brutally suppressed them by martyring and wounding a large number of Iranian Muslims. In the revolution’s history, the historical uprising known as "15th of Khordad" marked the starting point of the Islamic movement which was to change Iran's destiny.